Strasus, Dagnalla, Malia, Roderio, and Krin Foxrun were all seated at one end of the table. They fell silent as he walked in. He ignored them and walked straight for the covered trays and dishes set out on a sideboard. Conversation returned slowly.
"I think I've found a clue in the coins of the cache," Krin said. "The other artifacts may be ancient Netherese, but most of the coins are more recent and come from one of Netheril's survivor states, Anauria. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find enough information about Anaurian rulers to date the coins accurately, but we do know Anauria fell to ores in the Year of Fallen Guards, 111 DR. No more Anaurian coins were minted after that. Of course, the coins could have been collected after the country's fall, but with so many in one place I would guess that it's more like they came directly from Anauria."
"Good, good," nodded Strasus. "So we have an end date, then." He stroked his beard. "And more than two hundred years before the founding of Selgaunt and Saerloon. What about-?"
"a possible beginning date?" Krin sounded pleased with himself. Keph rolled his eyes in boredom as he began lifting covers and heaping a plate with grilled bread, olives, spiced chicken livers, and boiled eggs. He mouthed nonsense words along with Krin as his brother-in-law answered Strasus. "Among the coins was a sealed pouch containing fifty new gold coins from Calimshan celebrating the ascension of Qysar Shoon III of the Shoon Imperium, an event that occurred in 107 DR, the Year of the Fledglings. The striking on the coins was still sharp. They hadn't been circulated. I think they became part of the cache soon after their minting."
Strasus was stroking his beard so quickly Keph was surprised the whiskers weren't falling out.
"Well done, Krin," the old man said.
"Calishite coins among artifacts from Netheril and a Netherese survivor-state," commented Dagnalla. "That's an odd combination. I didn't think the two civilizations had much to do with each other."
Strasus sighed and shook his head. "I'm certain the tiles from the cache would tell us more, if only I could translate the writing on them. They resist even magical translation." His fingers slowed. "A picture begins to emerge, however. On the eve of Anauria's fall, artifacts of Netherese heritage are smuggled out of the doomed nation. Those escorting the artifacts make for Calimshansome ally there has sent them Calishite coin. They travel east from their doomed nation and south, skirting the settlements growing in the Dale-lands, and head for the docks at a rough quarrying community, perhaps to seek passage across the Sea of Fallen Stars and south…"
"But why abandon their treasures?" Dagnalla asked. "And why avoid the Dalelands?"
"If they were traveling in secret, they might have wanted to avoid anyone who could seize their treasures," suggested Roderio. "And when they had to meet with other people in Yhaunn, maybe they hid their treasures with the intention of retrieving them later, but were unable to go back."
"Possibly. But why were they going to Calimshan?"
Keph dragged a chair away from the table with a loud, penetrating scrape.
"Most importantly," Keph said, "why bother asking?"
He set his laden plate down and dropped into the chair with a satisfied groan. Malia gave him a look of disgust.
"Some people want to know things, Keph," she said. "Things other than what the inside of a jail cell looks like and how much ale they can drink before they throw up."
"Knowledge for knowledge's sake, then?" Keph asked. He impaled a liver on his fork and gestured with it. Spice-stained sauce splattered across the table. "Nothing purely practical, like unlocking the secret of some forgotten Netherese magic, for instance?"
Strasus looked at him with a long face. "Wouldn't that be a good thing to know?" he asked.
His voice was slow with the infuriating patience of an adult talking to a child. Keph's lips curled. He popped the liver in his mouth, and talked around it as he chewed. "How much ale you can drink before you throw up is a good thing to know, too."
Roderio flushed, blood showing bright red through the pale translucency of his newly healed skin. "Charming as ever, aren't you, Keph?"
"I have to keep up with you, Rodo."
His brother's face looked ready to bleed. Keph held back a satisfied smirk as he tucked into his breakfast. He glanced up at his family. Malia, Krin, and Roderio were staring at him. Strasus and Dagnalla were looking at each other, their old hands clasped.
"Go on," Keph mumbled around a mouthful of food. "Keep talking. It sounded really interesting. Hmpkno, that's not right…" He swallowed. "I'm sorry, I meant to say it sounded really dull."
Roderio flung his napkin onto the table. "No," he said, "I think we're finished. I have research to work on."
"New potions?" Keph asked.
Roderio shot him a burning glare and turned away sharply to stride out of the room. Krin and Malia glanced at each other, then rose as well. They left without saying anything. Keph looked at his father and mother. "Well?" he asked.
Emotion flickered across Dagnalla's face. "Keph," she said, her voice and eyes weary, "you look terrible."
"I've been working on my own research, mother. Comparing the insides of jail cells."
Dagnalla closed her eyes for a moment.
Strasus leaned forward, admonishing, "Keph…"
Keph paused in his eating to ask, "Are you going to lecture me now?"
"No."
"Good."
He went back to eating.
"Keph," Strasus said with a sigh, "Hane Cartcoster came to see us yesterday evening. She's still looking for Jarull. She'd heard that he's been seen around Yhaunn with you, but he hasn't been home for more than two ten-days now. Do you know where he is?"
"No," Keph answered, and for the moment at least, it was the truth.
"Hane is worried about him."
"Hane is always worried about Jarull."
"I know," agreed Strasus, "but this time she's really worried, and I think for good cause. She asked us to try locating him with magic. We couldn't find him."
The food in Keph's mouth turned dry and bitter as ashes. He choked it down and looked up slowly.
"If you ever" he spat, "tried doing that to me, I would never forgive you. Never!'
"Keph, are you listening to us?" said Dagnalla. "We couldn't find Jarull. If you have seen him, then"
"I heard you." Keph dropped his fork onto his plate. The ring Variance had given his friend, he guessed immediatelyit must have carried some kind of protection against divination magic. He glared at his parents. "Did you hear me? I don't want you casting your magic on me like that."
"You wouldn't want us to look for you if we thought you were in danger?" Strasus asked. He took Dagnalla's hand again, and his mouth went hard. "No, Keph. I'm not going to promise you that. We're not going to promise you that."
Keph clenched his teeth and grumbled, "Because you think I need your help? Because you don't think I can take care of myself?"
"No!" Strasus exclaimed.
"Magic didn't protect Roderio, did it?"
Keph shoved his chair back and stood up. The words of the orison that Variance had taught him rose to his lips. The smallest, most insignificant of spellsbut it would show Strasus wouldn't it? Show him that while he might not see the potential in his youngest son, Shar did.
Except that Variance had told him not to reveal his faith to anyone.
For a moment, Keph struggled between his anger and the dark priestess's warning. One orison. Just one
He swallowed the prayer and glared at his parents. "Is magic the only thing anyone in this family cares about?"
He turned and stalked out of the dining room and back to the entrance hall. His hangover had returned with a vengeance, and breakfast wasn't sitting well.